Love Like This
by undying-melodyx174
Summary: Bella, in 1864 is 19, and living with her two best friends, Alice and Rosalie during the time of the Civil War. It is how one single even can change the course of history. This is Bella’s story on love, life and friendship. AU.


**I'm back!! This is a little (ok, a lot) different to my one-shot, in many ways than one. I'm not actually sure how I came up with the idea, but I seem to recall me writing down everything that was spinning around in my head, and then just continuing it until I had a whole plot. Which took up like 3 pages.**

**This chapter is dedicated to xXBeetle Of DestinyXx (aka Remus/Jess) and Angelyn – I owe you guys, big time. I never would've got this up if not for you. So thanks so much!**

**Yeah, I think I'll go now. Hope you like this, and look forward (or maybe not) to seeing me a bit more in the future! :P**

**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Stephenie Meyer. The fluffiness, however, is a different story.**

Welcome Home

Spring was approaching. The most beautiful season of the year. The season full of flowers, of happiness, of love, and this year, of –

"Bella," a soft voice called me, shaking me out of my reverie.

I spun around to see one of my best friends and a recent roommate, a short, spiky-haired pixie, graceful in everything she did, who was standing in the doorway. "Alice!" I screamed, getting up to hug her. For the past 6 months she had volunteered as a nurse in the battlefields in Virginia.

"Alice, I'm so glad you're back," I said after releasing her, relief seeping through me. "You have no idea what it's been like without you – Rose and I have missed you so much."

Alice laughed, her high, tinkling, soprano laugh that was music to everybody's ears. "I'm sure it was much quieter without me!" she grinned, stepping inside the house. "But I missed you both so much as well," she said, all traces of humour now gone from her eyes. We looked at each other for a moment and hugged once more.

"Is Rosalie with Emmett?" she asked, after removing her jacket and placing it on the coat stand. "He wasn't in the house when I went in to put my bags in."

I nodded. "Yeah, they went to watch a game. None of us were expecting you so soon, otherwise they'd be here too. Emmett's been spending most of his time here, with the house being empty and all. Not to mention Rose looks after him every day."

She smiled. "I know. I wanted to surprise you guys."

I grinned wryly, leading her to the living room where we would be able to talk more comfortably. "Well it worked. My heart almost stopped when I turned around to see you leaning against the doorframe."

"What can I say?" she asked, smirking. "I have perfected the art of silence."

That was too much for me. I burst into laughter, while Alice looked up at me grinning like a Cheshire cat. Alice? Silence? We sank into the couch, with me still laughing at her absurd comment.

We sat there for a while, still giggling. It was refreshing – I hadn't laughed like this in goodness knows how long. My days were empty now, just like my life. It was as if there was a big, gaping hole in the middle of my life story. I just hoped it was temporary. There weren't enough words to describe how desolate I had felt this past year, watching everything and everyone around me changing. I dreaded hearing the news on the radio, and turning the pages of the newspaper. I couldn't bear it if someone I knew was in there. So far, I had been lucky.

Alice had volunteered as a nurse since the beginning of the year, making the house even more empty than it already was. I thought back to March, when Edward and Alice had been granted a break to come home for a week. She had been withdrawn for most of the time, much quieter than usual, with a haunted look in her eyes, although she acted her usual bouncing self around us. I was waiting for her to tell me or Rose what was wrong, but she stubbornly kept her mouth shut. I wondered if she would tell me now. I decided to give it a shot. Alice was my best friend, and I couldn't stand seeing her in that condition.

"Alice?" I asked softly, once her giggles had subsided. She turned to face me, already predicting what I was going to ask her. I could see in her eyes she was afraid. Afraid of the memories that were coming back to haunt her. But I didn't want her to bear them alone.

I gulped and tried again. "Alice? What happened in the 6 months you were gone? You weren't your usual self last March." As soon as my mouth closed, her bottom lip trembled and her eyes filled with anguished tears. She turned away. Impulsively I reached over to hug her, and waited patiently for her to reply.

After what seemed like a millennia, she took a deep, shuddering breath before turning to face me again. "At first it was easy, just looking after all the people who needed it, mending their wounds, and just talking to them. But after a while it started to get worse. The sights! Oh god, Bella I can't even begin to describe it. It was horrendous, and my heart went out to everyone who came in. There were babies who had been destroyed, children, whose families had now been wrenched in half. The number of people we lost! Knowing that they'd still be alive if not for this stupid war."

She started sobbing again, and I hugged her once more. Out of the three of us, Alice was the strongest, the one who always knew how to make us feel better, the one who was constantly mothering us. It pained me to see her so distraught. I couldn't even begin to comprehend the things she had seen.

I sighed as I remembered how we'd first met. It was my first day in a new school, and I was in third grade. Five minutes after I'd walked into the classroom, head bowed down, sitting at the back of the nearly-full classroom, she had bounced up to me, introduced herself, and began chatting animatedly about anything, and everything. At first, I was too shy to do anything but listen and nod my head occasionally, but from that day, we were best friends.

Rosalie had arrived a week after me. She came from a rich, middle-class family, as a spoilt, slightly stuck-up child. Or so I'd thought at first sight. But the thing that had intimidated me the most was not her attitude, or the way she looked at people, but her beauty. Rosalie, even at such a young age, was beautiful, more beautiful than all the girls in our class could hope to be. She'd had problems making friends, or maybe she simply didn't want to. I remembered watching her at morning break from where I was sitting with Alice, remembered noticing that she sat alone, head held high with as much dignity as her little 7-year-old self could hold. You would have thought she considered herself far too good to befriend anyone, but I could see in her eyes that she was lonely.

When we got back into class, Alice wanted to make friends with her, this strange, new, isolated girl, whose twin brother had had no trouble fitting in. I remember seeing him before the bell rang, trying, with his new-found friends, to strike up conversation with her, seeing her continued attempts to make him go away. In the end, he and his friends gave up, Jasper giving his sister one, last, sad look before leaving with his friends.

As much as I was intrigued about this stranger who seemed as lonely and forlorn as I had been when I'd stepped into the classroom for the first time, I was also a little awed by her presence, her demeanour, and more than a little reluctant to try and befriend her. I couldn't see myself being friends with her. Me, Bella, who was quiet, shy and clumsy, compared to her, Rosalie, who was blonde, beautiful and graceful. She looked like a princess, and I looked like nobody. What would she see in me?

But Alice paid no attention to my weak protests, and marched over towards her, holding me firmly by the hand, dragging me as she went along. She was sitting in her chair, as still as a statue, quietly, and coolly observing her classmates around her.

I remember watching timidly as Alice trying, without much success, to engage her in a conversation. She introduced ourselves, and then asked Rosalie some questions. It didn't work at first. I could tell she wanted nothing more than for us to leave her alone, to give her the privacy to sink into her solitary thoughts once more. I tried many times to get Alice to leave. But she wouldn't listen, and continued to interrogate the new student.

"But Rose," she would say, already calling the girl by familiarity. "It's just a simple question. There must be something you like doing. Bella and I just want to be friends."

And I'd nod and smile shyly at the girl who's face looked like it was made of stone. She'd continue to answer coldly in short, detached sentences, all the while staring into space.

We didn't make much progress the first day, but after a week of Alice's dazzling smiles and persistent questions, along with my occasional timid ones, she began to warm up to us, speaking more and more each day. It wasn't long until the three of us were inseparable, going to each other's houses for sleepovers every other week, going to parties together, and telling each other our deepest secrets.

I sighed happily. Alice and Rose were the best friends a girl could have. I wouldn't trade them for the world. I owed them my life. And I hoped I could help Alice the same way she had helped me ever since we'd met.

"Rose!" Alice shrieked suddenly, jumping up from beside me. She ran over to hug her. "Oh my god, I've missed you so much!"

The next ten minutes or so were spent screaming, embracing and more screaming. Rose was almost crying, which was a first, as she wasn't really one to cry. She hadn't changed much over the years, except to grow taller, more beautiful and more breath-taking every day. I knew many of the girls in my high-school and college were more than a little jealous of my friend.

"Next time tell us when you're coming home! Don't scare the hell out of us like that!" Rose was half screaming, half crying, setting Alice and I off again. I was so happy, too happy for words. The three of us were together again.

**So what did you think?? I guess it is a little weird...**

**There wasn't any television in the 1800s... so I had to make do with a radio. xD**

**Constructive critism etc. would be really appreciated – I'd really like to improve my writing! Also, if there are any inconsistencies you can see, please let me know.**

**Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it!!**

**Sheryl**


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